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Have you ever been on a long ride and wished that the drops on your handlebars were a little more shallow and easy to access? Well, you are not alone. For years I have always felt uncomfortable in the drop position for long periods of time, because of the awkward position they force you into. Oh, and did I forget to mention how hard it is to reach the shifters and brake levers from this position on some handlebars? For these reasons many drops go unused, leaving riders with no benefits, except for maybe some cleaner portions of grip tape.

I have talked with other riders regarding this, to see if this was a common issue for cyclists. To my surprise, many people rarely use the drop portion of their bars, while others forgo the drops all together. All this talk brought up the question of 'Why are the drops there if we are never going to use them?'. When we brought this question up at Giantnerd, we decided that we needed to make it easier for customers to use their drops. So, we got in touch with the production team and got the bars on the 2015 Tommaso Carbon line to have some new compact handlebars. After patiently waiting, we received the new carbon bikes with compact handlebars last Summer and began testing them immediately. We all went on a few rides and unanimously agreed we were never going back to full size handlebars.

The ability to really utilize the drops is something many of us had never focused on before, and now that it was a real option, we all found ourselves riding in the position all the time. Riding in the drops offers many advantages and really does put your in an optimal position for speed and power, not to mention the shifters are right there for ease of use. Compact bars are really an incredible way to step up your ride and really use all of the positioning options available to you as a cyclist.

Our customers seem to agree as well, as we have received rave reviews about the new bars. For the 2015 Tommaso Aluminum line, we decided to keep the momentum going and use the Tommaso compact handlebars for all the 2015 bikes. Now riders of all levels can enjoy the added benefits and start riding their best. Gone are the days of being hunched over, causing back pain and discomfort. The difference may not seem extreme, but it makes a world of difference on the road.

Interested in the benefits of compact handlebars? Hop on a any 2015 Tommaso bike and try out the incredible benefits for yourself immediately! Click Here to check out the current selection of 2015 Tommaso bikes to find your perfect fit today.

We get a lot of questions from customers asking what the difference between your average road shoe and a high end road shoe. It is a great question, that I myself did not fully know the answer to until recently, when I made the switch to the Shimano R170 SPD-SL shoes. The following has been my expereience, and why I am not hooked on the R170.

With Race season coming up I decided I needed every advantage I could get to be as competitive as possible this year. So, after some deliberation, I decided to retire my old Shimano R078 shoes and take a big leap to the R170. I had heard that the increased stiffness and improved materials would make a huge difference in my riding, so I gave it a try in training for an upcoming race.

Upon slipping into these shoes for the first time, the first thing that I noticed was the outside texture of the shoe. The minimal fabric design design was tough and sexy, with great ventilation. Also, the textured material on the outside of the shoe will most certainly be more resistant to signs of wear than my previous shoes.

After a few rides, this shoes makes lesser models feel like slippers. The R170 hugs your foot as tight as you need it to, with the ratchet system, without ever feeling uncomfortable. It greatly differs from shoes I have worn in the past because the body is using less material and I feel like the shoe becomes a seamless part of my foot while riding. The lightness of the shoes is extremely apparent on long climbs and those training days when you just seem to have heavier legs than usual.

Over the Winter, I first started using these shoes on a stationary bike at spin class. I immediately noticed more accessibility to muscle groups that were otherwise hindered with my previous shoes from the need to focus too much on balancing on a small platform. The stiffness of these shoes, Shimano rating of 10 for stiffness, makes the whole sole of the shoe feel like a platform, instead of just focusing on the ball of my foot. This bigger platform feel has provided better balance, more power, and has decreased my fatigue while riding, making me faster and happier than ever before.

So, if you are looking to make the switch and try a newer stiffer shoe to up your game this season, give it a try. I guarantee you will see a huge difference and never looks back.